The Age of Empire: 1875-1914

I just finished reading this book. Knowing little more than what the average person knows about the nineteenth century, I closed the book feeling enlightened and intrigued. Hobsbawm writes well, and he manages to bring together very complex concepts and mechanisms into simple sentences. It is a daunting experience trying to compress forty years of world history into four hundred pages, but Hobsbawm manages to pull it off in most places. There is enough primer material in this book for a lifetime of further study. Hobsbawm instills a sense of curiosity in the reader, and I spent much time oodling over reference books and online sources trying to patch together the facts and events referred to in "Age of Empire: 1875-1914". What can I say? I wanted to know more about colonialism, industrialisation and economic progress in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, and "Age of Empire: 1875-1914" fit the bill very well indeed.

This is an excellent multifaceted analysis of the long 19th century that is so significant not only to European but to world history. Flowing freely between critical political, economic, and cultural analysis, Hobsbawm clearly connects the complex developments of the period and enlightens the reader on their significance. A must read for anyone studying European and world history.

This book, along with the two previous in the trilogy (Age of Revolution, Age of Capital) ranks as probably the best history books (among many) I have read. Hobsbawm assumes a basic knowledge of what happened during the period in question, so avoid this book if you are looking for a simple narrative. The prospective reader should also know that Hobsbawm is a Marxist and will analyze and argue as one. Having said that, I find the emphasis on the economic aspects of history to be very enlightening. If you have some idea of what happened in the 19th century and would like some serious and astute analysis of why, this book fits the bill admirably.